Ally Sees Austin in his Boxers! :O
by HagarenKokoro
Summary: Austin breaks his arm, Ally's writing a new song, and somewhere along the way...Ally sees Austin in his boxers! How will they react? And where does Austin's whistle necklace come in? An Auslly pairing with tons of ROMANCE, a surprise HUG, and maybe something more...*wink wink* Told from Ally's POV, and everyone is perfectly in character. Lots of sexy moments from Austin. :) :)
1. Chapter 1

Ally threw a peanut into the air and caught it neatly in her mouth. She had gotten pretty good at it, and could do it for hours without missing a single one.

The truth was, she didn't have anything else to do. She was sitting at the piano with an empty piece of paper in front of her, but without Austin around, she didn't have anything to write. He was her inspiration. A simple word from him could inspire an entire song. Austin wasn't a songwriter, but sometimes he walked in the door whistling a tune that wasn't from any song and it wasn't from her, so he must have made it up himself. The song "Better Together" had come from a ditty Austin said he came up with in the shower.

She needed him. Austin hadn't been at school that day, and she'd texted him and asked him to meet her at the music store. Now she had to wait until he got there.

Footsteps bounded up the stairs, and she knew it was Austin just by the sound. He took two – sometimes three – stairs at a time, always loud and eager.

Ally knew something was different as soon as Austin walked in the door. His clothes looked normal, except his buttons were done even sloppier than usual, and his shoelaces were untied.

But what really stood out was his right arm. It was wrapped in an orange plaster cast from his elbow to his wrist, and a sling held his arm close to his body.

Ally stood up and knocked over the piano bench. "Austin! What happened?"

"I broke my arm."

"I can see that! But how? And where? And when?"

He crossed the room and used his foot to lift the piano bench upright. "This morning, while I was skateboarding. Didn't you get my text?"

Ally brought up the text on her phone, and showed it to him. It read, "_La I bk mayy rm. emrgeeEkny rumm_."

"Oh, yeah," Austin said. "That was my text from the emergency room. I had to use my left hand."

"That makes a lot of sense. I thought you were drunk," she said. "But I'm so glad you're okay. Did it hurt a lot?"

"Pretty bad. I broke my board, too. But at least I got this cool cast. And you can be the first person to sign it!" He pulled a black marker out of his jeans.


	2. Chapter 2

"You're taking this too lightly, Austin. How are you going to play guitar in your concert tomorrow? Or piano? Or anything?"

He thought about it for a moment, then said, "I can still sing."

"Can you dance?"

"The robot is a little easier now," he said. He demonstrated by lifting up his sling, which was stuck perpetually in a right angle. "Ow. That hurts."

"I don't know what we're going to do. You could probably just sing, but that seems a little too simple for a gig this important."

"You could always dance in my place, Ally."

Ally knew he was making a joke, but the idea was just too crazy. She sat down at the piano and resisted the urge to chew her hair. Austin sat down with her, his shoulder brushing against hers.

"Does that hurt?" she asked. "When I touch your shoulder?"

"Nah," he said. "I don't mind when you touch me."

There was a long silence. Ally tried to cover the awkward moment by coughing. "Um, good. Do you want to work on this piano part I wrote?"

"First, sign my cast." He held up the marker. "You're the first person who's going to sign it. Make sure to write something nice because I'll have to look at it for the next six months."

Ally took the marker and thought about what she would write. Austin moved the sling out of the way, and Ally scrawled, in her neatest handwriting, "You're the pancake to my pickle. Get better soon. Love, Ally."

She leaned back to admire it, and then realized with a jolt what she'd written. Oh no. She'd accidentally signed it with "love" instead of "like." How could her fingers have slipped up like that? She frantically tried to scribble it out, but the marker had run out of ink.

"Do you have another marker?" Ally asked.

"No. Why?"

"I wanted to write more," she said, nervously. "But I ran out of ink." She thought about searching the music store for another marker, but she knew they wouldn't have any. Her dad never replenished the store's supplies.


	3. Chapter 3

"That's all right." Austin lifted up his arm and read aloud what was written there. Ally's heart stopped beating for a moment. "You're the pancake to my pickle…aww, thanks, Ally! But what does the rest say? I can't see it."

Ally breathed a sigh of relief. The end of her message was under the curve of Austin's arm, hidden from his view. "I wrote that I hope you get better soon."

"I will. I promise."

Austin wrapped his good arm around her and pulled her into his chest for a quick hug. His bulky cast came between them and made the hug awkward, so Ally pulled away a little quicker than usual.

"Sorry," Austin said. "That's a lot easier with…you know. Two arms."

He smiled, and gave her a long look that made Ally forget everything she'd been thinking. She was lost in his gaze for several long moments, until he tore his own eyes away, and looked down at the piano.

"Ready to play?" he asked. His voice sounded different, more self-conscious.

Ally fixed her hair, straightened her dress. "Sure. Can you play the melody with your left hand?"

He played the notes, slowly at first, since it was much harder with just one hand. Ally joined him on the other half of the piano, and though the tune souned beautiful, she missed the feeling of his fingers brushing against hers whenever they hit the same note.

~0~0~0~0~

Ally went over to Austin's house to give him his homework, since he'd missed the last two days of school. She rang the doorbell, and though Austin usually bolted to the door to answer it first, Mr. and Mrs. Moon opened the door instead.

"Come on in! Austin's in his room if you want to bring his homework to him."

Ally thanked them and headed up the stairs. She knocked on Austin's door but he didn't answer. Maybe he was sleeping. He seemed to do that a lot. He slept a lot during class, and once he'd even fallen asleep at the drumkit.

It felt wrong, but Ally pushed the door open and stepped inside. She squeezed her eyes shut in case Austin wasn't dressed, but when she didn't hear anything, she opened them.


	4. Chapter 4

Austin wasn't there. His room was a total mess, as usual. She almost tripped over a basketball, and a bag of popcorn was spilled across the bed. A zombie movie played quietly on the TV.

Something on the dresser caught her eye. It was a glint of silver, coming from the whistle necklace that Austin always wore around his neck. Ally picked it up, twirled it in her fingers.

What was it doing here? She'd never seen Austin without it, and he'd said himself that he almost never took it off.

Then it dawned on her, just as the bathroom door opened. Austin stepped out wearing boxers and his bright orange cast. His hair was wet from his shower and dripping down his neck. His wrists and fingers looked bare without their usual bracelets or rings, and his chest truly _was_ bare. Ally's eyes lingered on his chest, on the shape of his shoulders and his thin waist, and how it all connected together, without being hidden by clothing or fabric. His boxers were black and simple, though Ally had expected something more flamboyant, maybe orange or pink.

What was she thinking? Of course she hadn't _expected_ anything! She certainly hadn't expected to see Austin in his underwear, and now she was staring at him, and he was staring back, eyebrows raised.

"Oh, um – I'm sorry!" She turned her back to him to give him some privacy. She stared at the posters on the far wall, and tried to reorganize her thoughts. "I brought you your homework."

"Oh, thanks. Where is it?"

"I have it." She turned around and handed the stack of books to him. For a moment, she was right in front of him, and they were only inches apart.

He was so _tall_. Even his hands, as he took the books from her, seemed so much bigger than hers. One of his hands could probably enfold two of hers. But his height made it that much harder not to stare at him – there was just so much of him to look at. His skin glistened from the water, smelling faintly of soap, and Ally forced herself to look away.

She turned around and stared at the dartboard on his wall. Most of the darts were in the center. He was a pretty good shot, unless he'd simply gotten up and placed the darts there, in which case he was a cheater.


	5. Chapter 5

"Well, it was nice seeing you." Oh, that sounded so, so, wrong. It made it seem like she'd come over for the sole purpose of staring at his half-naked body. "Um, bye!"

"Wait, don't go. I, uh, kind of need your help."

Ally paused, still turned away from him. "With what?" School work? Did he really want to study wearing nothing but his boxers?

"Can you help me get dressed? My arm…"

He trailed off, and Ally was forced to turn around to see what he was talking about. Austin was halfway through his shirt, except his arm was through the wrong hole and his hair was snagged on a button. His right arm, in the cast, was useless to him.

Ally crossed the room and pulled the shirt off him. He complained when she yanked his hair out of the button, but then he was freed.

"I never knew it would be so hard," he said. "If I'd known it would be like this, I wouln't have tried that triple-axel flip on the skateboard."

"You shouldn't have tried that in the first place," Ally scolded him.

"Can you help me put it on?" Austin asked. "I honestly can't do it by myself."

She sat him down on the edge of the bed so she wouldn't have to stretch to reach him. First, she pulled the sleeve over his cast, careful not to yank his arm and hurt him. Austin tried to help, but there was really nothing he could do, so he just relaxed his arm while Ally guided it through the sleeve. She pulled the rest of his shirt over his body. As her fingers brushed against his back, she felt his muscles move beneath his skin. She wondered how he could be so strong. All he seemed to do was sleep and eat pancakes.

She buttoned up the front of his shirt, all the way to the collar.

"That looks dorky. Can you unbutton it a little?" asked Austin.

Ally didn't understand why he cared. "It's not like anyone's here to see you."

"You're here, aren't you?" he asked.

"But I don't care how you look." She snapped open the top button for him.

"Can you hand me my jeans? I can put those on by myself, I think."

"Why are you wearing jeans to bed?" Ally asked, rifling through his clothes. She found a pair of ripped jeans and handed them over.


	6. Chapter 6

"I'm not going to bed. I'm going to stay up and study." He pulled his pants on with only one hand, and sat back on the edge of the bed. He was still slightly wet, and his T-shirt stuck to his skin in some places, but he was dressed.

"You? Study?"

"Yeah. I'm studying George Romero's best zombie movies."

At those words, Ally got up to leave. Austin pulled her back down. "Wait, this is the good part," he said.

On the TV screen, a pretty blonde girl ran away from a giant zombie lizard. She screamed and looked scared, and the lizard reached for her with a cheesy-looking rubber claw. Austin watched in fascination, and picked up a stray piece of popcorn from his bed and popped it in his mouth. Then he spit it out.

"Yuck, stale."

"Maybe if you cleaned your room, that wouldn't happen."

He gave her a look as if she was crazy. "With two arms that would have been a difficult job. Now it's impossible." His gaze lingered on her. "Hey, you're wearing my necklace."

Ally was wearing his whistle necklace. She must have slipped it on without thinking, and now, embarassed, she started to pull it off.

"Wait, we'll both wear it." Austin laughed, and looped the necklace around his own throat. They were both wearing the necklace now, and the tight chain forced them closer together. Their faces were inches apart. The soft jingle of the whistle was the only noise besides their breathing.

To cover the silence, Ally asked, "Why do you always wear it?" It was something she'd often wondered.

He shrugged, causing a shimmer to go through the chain. "No reason. But you seem to like it, so…I'll give it to you."

"Really? You would do that?"

"Sure. But you'll have to give me something, too. It'll be like a trade."

She fixed him with a glare. "If you ask to touch my book, just forget about it."

He laughed.

"But thank you so much, Austin. This is a great gift."


	7. Chapter 7

Without even thinking, Ally reached out to hug him. It was something she often did when she wanted to thank Austin, and she did it so much that Dez called them a "Two Person Hugging Machine," but this time, it felt different.

Ally slid easily into his embrace, circling her arms around his neck. He immediately wrapped one arm arm around the small of her back and pulled them closer. He held her, with the same tenderness and thoughtfulness he usually did, but unlike usual, she could feel Austin's heart beating loudly in his chest. Ally pulled away the tiniest bit and looked up at him. Their eyes met for a few moments. He tilted his head, closed his eyes, and leaned in. There was the smallest brush of lips on lips, tentative and wondering. Ally leaned in a little closer, longing for a kiss.

"Ouch!"

She jumped about a foot in the air. "What? What happened?"

Austin was rubbing his shoulder, looking pained. "Your arm…grabbed my cast and yanked down on it. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell."

Ally's face turned red. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you. I forgot about your cast."

"No, it's not your fault, I shouldn't have – "

The door flung open, and revealed his parents standing in the doorway. "Austin, it's time – "

Ally and Austin jumped apart, but the chain around both their necks refused to let them move very far.

Mrs. Moon stood in the doorway, looking as if she'd been struck by a bolt of lightning. "Oh my – Ally?"

Ally was forced to pull the necklace from her throat before she could disentangle herself from Austin's lap.

"I'm sorry. I was just going home. I thought I'd drop off his books first – " There was a long, unbroken silence. "Bye, Austin."

She ran out the door as fast as she could and didn't stop running until she'd made it to the street. But only then did she allow herself to smile, and replay the kiss – or _almost_ kiss – over and over in her mind.


	8. Chapter 8

**[HEY, EVERYBODY! This is a message from the author. I got a lot of complaints about changing Ally's name to "Laura" in the first part of this story, so I went ahead and changed it back. I hope it's not too confusing for you. And don't forget, if you liked the story, go ahead and give me a review or favorite the story – it means so much to me! Thanks for being amazing and I hope you continue to read my fanfiction. Toodles!]**

Austin didn't come to school the next day. He texted Ally something about a doctor appointment, although since he typed it with his left hand, it mostly looked like gibberish. But there was a smiley face at the end of the message that made Ally break out in a smile.

The teacher caught her using her phone in class and sent her to the principal's office. She had never gotten a detention before in her life, and her warm feelings toward Austin turned into boiling anger. How could he get her in trouble like that?

Then she thought about the almost-kiss, and the anger melted away. She felt herself blush instead. Austin's lips had pressed against hers for only a second before they'd been interrupted, and Ally found herself revisiting that moment again and again in her mind. In that moment, her view of Austin had completely changed. Austin wasn't just the friend who held doors open for her and smiled when she walked into a room. He wasn't just a shoulder to cry on, a songwriting partner, or the boy with the sweet laugh.

Austin was a boy who knew how to kiss, and he knew how to do it well. He was a boy who could say her name just the right way, his voice deep and low in all the right places. Ally liked the way he showed his height by leaning against doorways, sitting on countertops, and stretching his legs out in a chair – as if he was trying to take up as much space as possible. And he was handsome, too. He had always been especially easy to look at, but now his attractive features meant so much more to her. She remembered his dark and pretty eyes lingering on hers right before the kiss…

She wished the kiss hadn't ended so soon. And why couldn't it have happened much earlier? Why had it taken her so long to realize she had feelings about him, and why did it take _him_ so long to kiss her? They could have been kissing all the time! From the moment they met, she could have stayed glued to his side, always near him, hearing his voice and leaning into his strong frame. He could have scooped her up into his arms and twirled her around, whispered words of love into her ear. They could have walked to Sonic Boom together after school. Of course, they could do all that _now_, but…

Actually, no, they couldn't. Because Ally had no idea what the kiss had meant. Did Austin truly want her, desire her, and wish to be with her? Or was it just an experimental thing, like Austin was thinking, "Hmm, I wonder what she tastes like?"

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She had another text message from Austin, and just seeing his name on the screen was enough to make a thrill go through her.

"armm neids reBroke. cn U cohmee here? Aujstin."

Ally reread it several times before she figured out what it meant. "Arm needs rebroke. Can you come here? Austin."

Ally put her phone away and did the bravest thing she'd ever done – she skipped school. Instead of heading to the principal's office, she veered out the school doors and toward her car in the parking lot. She only hoped that she could remember the way to the hospital.


	9. Chapter 9

Austin was sitting on the edge of a hospital bed. He stared out the window with a serious, thoughtful expression, as if he was weighing something in his mind. When he saw Ally, his expression brightened, and he hopped off the bed.

Ally was afraid he would be in a hospital gown, but Austin was wearing normal clothes and his bright orange cast. He looked perfectly healthy, but his serious expression and urgent text message made Ally wonder.

"You're here!" he said.

He reached forward to enfold her in a big, powerful hug, but stopped himself inches away from her skin. He pulled away, and laughed awkwardly. He busied himself with adjusting the strap around his shoulder. "I probably shouldn't hug anyone for a while," he said. "It might mess up my cast."

Ally felt a sinking disappointment. So they were back to normal, then. They were destined to share awkward hugs and silences for the rest of their days, never confessing their feelings or becoming anything more than friends. All right, fine. Let's pretend the kiss never happened. I'll pretend I haven't been thinking about it nonstop, that I haven't been dreaming about you at night, that you're not all I think about. Instead, I'll be a good friend and ask you how your arm is doing. That's what friends are for, right?

"I got your text message," said Ally. "It sounded pretty serious."

Austin sat down on the bed, and with him sitting, their height was almost the same. "Mom and the doctor are looking at the tests again. It looks like cast hasn't done its job so far, and the bone is starting to grow back the wrong way. They have to break it again."

Ally's bitter feelings disappeared, and she felt nothing but concern for her friend. She sat on the bed next to him.

"Austin, are you going to be OK? I mean, won't it hurt when they rebreak it?"

He nodded, staring at his hands. "Yeah. It wasn't so bad the first time, because I was skateboarding and I didn't expect it to happen. But when you _know_ it's going to happen…it's so much worse."

Ally couldn't imagine what that felt like. But she put all her feeling into the words as she said, "I'll be here for you, Austin."

Austin looked up, and met her gaze firmly for the first time that day. He wore the same look on his face that he'd worn just before he kissed her, and Ally felt her heart kick into high gear. Were his eyes drifting closed, or was he just blinking? His mouth opened the tiniest bit - was he going to kiss her, or was he about to say something?

The door opened (of course, Ally though to herself) and the doctor poked her head in, holding a clipboard. "Austin Moon? We're ready for you. Come to Room 5, down the hall."

Austin jumped off the bed, glancing nervously at Ally. "Doctor, can I bring someone with me? Besides my mother?"

The doctor nodded. "Sure. It shouldn't take too long." She disappeared through the doorway.

"I'm really nervous," said Austin.

"Don't be. You're tough, you can handle it," said Ally. She got up from the bed.

Austin, instead of laughing, stopped right in front of her. "Ally," he said, slowly. "If I die from this…"

Now that was ridiculous. "Austin! You're not going to die from this. No one has ever died from a broken bone. Seriously."

"But if I do…I want you to know that the kiss wasn't a mistake." He pressed his left hand into the bed behind her, leaning into her. "I meant it."


	10. Chapter 10

The room seemed to melt away. The flickering hospital lights, the mildew on the walls, the crackle of machines all disappeared until it was only Austin standing in front of her. He was the only thing that mattered.

His entire body bent towards hers as if he wanted to make the space between them disappear. Before, there had been a hands width of space between them. Now there was a sliver of air.

She felt so comfortable with Austin. He was the only boy she would ever let invade her space like that. It felt as though he _belonged_ there. Like the space inches from her skin was reserved for him, like that was the proper place for him to be.

If we were a couple, Ally thought, then I could stand this close to him all the time. Wherever we would go, I would be by his side. That space under his arm could be my space, and I would stand there held against his side, protected, sheltered by his height and confidence. I wouldn't have to worry whether it was wrong to touch him. I wouldn't obsess about every time our hands touched, whether I was breaking some sort of rule by hugging him, pressing against him, breathing in his ear. I could do all those things whenever I wanted. And he could love me, and hold me, whenever he wanted.

Austin's eyes were dark. He seemed to be thinking, concentrating, and she could see his breath catch in his throat. Something was going on inside of his head, and she desperately wanted to reach in and pull it from him. She wanted to stand on her toes and press her ear to his mouth, say to him, "Tell me everything. I want to know everything you've ever thought."

Suddenly, she felt distant from him. She was going crazy trying to guess what he was thinking. What did he think of her?

Did he love her?


	11. Chapter 11

Ally loved him. She spent her nights dreaming that he would kiss her. She thought she might jump out of her skin whenever he stood next to her. She liked the way his name looked on paper; she liked to see him write, because she loved his handwriting and the way he curled the letter "Y." She loved to make Austin laugh. She loved when he was clumsy, and fell out of chairs or dropped things. She loved the way he held his guitar against his hips, strumming as if he was born with it in his hands. She loved the way his eyes closed when he sang into the microphone, the way he treated the microphone tenderly, like it was an old friend.

She hated when he looked at other girls. She hated when other girls looked at him. And she hated herself for being like that. Wasn't she just like them? Wasn't she just another girl who saw him across the room and fell in love with his blonde hair, the bracelets on his wrists, the way he raised his eyebrows when he was trying not to laugh? Wasn't she just as guilty as those other girls? They probably hated Ally, too.

But did Austin love her?

Sometimes he accidentally brushed against her in the hallway, but sometimes he talked to other girls. Sometimes he stared at her when she was talking, but sometimes he made fun of her. Sometimes he seemed jealous of Dez whenever he talked to Ally, but sometimes they were the best of friends, with no jealousy between them. Sometimes he texted her nonstop. Sometimes he didn't text her for days.

And _one_ time, they shared the same necklace and the same air. They had kissed. Their lips had tangled together. It was a mouth-watering, head-spinning, dizzy-making sort of kiss. He was an excellent kisser. He was an excellent singer. He had excellent lips and eyes and his body was to die for. He was so handsome that sometimes she wanted to reach out and poke his cheekbone, and say, "Is that even real?" But he was real. And he was standing right in front of her, and he was expecting her to say something. But it was impossible to think of things to say when her eyes were so busy tracing the line of his jawbone.


	12. Chapter 12

All Ally could think was, "Is this real? This whole thing..saying he "meant" the kiss? What does that even mean?"

And then it happened. Something cracked between them, splintered into little pieces. She guessed it was the sound of a heart breaking, but she wasn't sure – it happened so fast. One second Austin was leaning into her and biting his lip in concentration, and the next he pulled away, and the distance between them grew as large as a crater on the moon.

Ally had taken too long to answer. Countless moments had ticked by since Austin mentioned the kiss, and in all her thinking and worrying, she had completely neglected to answer him. She suddenly saw it from his point of view – he had poured his heart out, and she had stared at him in silence, without smiling or frowning or showing any emotion. It was worse than the cold-shoulder. He must have thought there was a blizzard coming off her body, telling him to stay away.

Austin took his hand off the bed and rubbed it through his hair. They were no longer leaning into each other. There was a space between them that could have fit another person. Ally felt cold, alone, and she wanted him back.

"I'm joking."

"What?"

"Ally, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kiss you at all. We got all tangled up in that necklace, and it was an accident. And I felt so bad about leading you on that I tried to tell you I "meant" it…when I really didn't."


	13. Chapter 13

There was a second cracking sound – although it was only in Ally's mind – and she knew exactly what it was from. It was the sound of her own heart breaking. Now they had two broken hearts between them, both of them bleeding out onto the hospital floor.

Two broken hearts? Ally, who are you kidding? Didn't you just hear him? He said he doesn't love you. He didn't even mean to kiss you.

So there was only one broken heart, and it was Ally's. She hadn't even known her heart could break until she met Austin and he decided to take a sledgehammer to it. He was so clumsy with everything – of course he would be clumsy with her feelings, too.

How could she forget? He was Austin. Even at his worst he was a thousand times out of her league, and always would be. He was the type of boy who, if you put him in a kissing booth, could charge a million dollars for a kiss and would still have a huge line waiting. At concerts, all the girls screamed that they wanted to have his babies. Walking down the street, people screamed at the sight of him. He could have any girl in the world – and you thought he would choose you? Really, Ally?

"I just want to stay friends," Austin said. "And partners?"

He held out his hand for a handshake. He had to use his left hand, since his right arm was in the cast. She looked at the words she'd written on the cast. "You're the pancake to my pickle. Love, Ally."

Love.

She could feel the tears brimming against her eyelashes. She had never cried in front of Austin before, and she didn't want to ruin that now. She covered her face and pushed past him, letting the door clatter behind her. She hoped with every fiber of her heart that he hadn't seen.


	14. Chapter 14

Austin listened to the clatter of Ally's heels as she ran down the hallway and out of the hospital. She had been crying. Even though she'd tried to hide it, he had seen the tears sliding down her skin. Even after she was gone, he could see a dark speck on the floor where a teardrop had fallen.

He would never forget the look on her face. She looked as if Austin had slapped her. She looked at him as if she'd never seen him before, and never wanted to see him again.

The door opened. Austin leapt off the bed the moment he heard it. "Ally," he cried.

It was his mother. She looked confused. "Ally just ran past me. You should go get her – she looked like she was crying."

There was nothing more disappointing than expecting to see Ally's bright, young face and seeing his mother instead. Austin turned away from her and shook his head. He felt frustration squeezing every muscle of his body. He wanted to talk to Ally – no, _needed_ to talk to her.

But Austin was afraid to talk to her. He was afraid she would look at him with those wounded brown eyes and he wouldn't be able to speak. She did that to him, sometimes. Sometimes he got stuck looking at her and his voice got stuck inside him. There was something about Ally that made him go silent when she walked into the room. She had the same effect on other men, too. But she never seemed to realize it.

"She's fine, Mom," he said.

"But Ally seemed so upset! And you're her friend. You're supposed to be there for her."

"I'll always be there for her," said Austin. "But I'll never be with her."

There was a long silence.

Mom seemed to understand right away that something was going on. She put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Tell me what happened."

Austin had grown taller than his mom in the past year, but whenever he talked about his feelings to her, he always felt like a little kid. He had never talked about things like this to his mother before, so he couldn't help but feel embarassed.

Austin squeezed the words out. "You know that night she brought over my homework? That night...we kissed. Actually, I mostly kissed her. But she seemed to – I don't know – like it? I mean, she didn't stop me?"


	15. Chapter 15

"Oh, stop blushing. I knew you two had been kissing as soon as I walked in. Teenagers don't sit that close together unless they've been tasting each other's bubble gum."

"Mom!"

"Austin," she said. "I've known since day one that you have a thing for her. You stand so close to her. You forget to blink when you look at her. Every night at the dinner table, you only talk about her. Every ditty you play on your guitar sounds like a love song written for her. And trust me, it _is_ a love song."

Austin felt every word hit him like an arrow into the chest. He had tried so hard to keep his feelings hidden, but every part of him was desperate to spill the secret.

"I used to have a crush on her. Not anymore," said Austin.

The room was quiet, but Austin's heartbeat was loud, pounding in his chest. He closed his eyes and saw Ally in his mind. He saw her throwing her head back to laugh. He saw the way her tiny hands looked when he held them. He saw her smacking her lips while she ate. He saw her falling asleep when they rode in the car together, and the way she rested her head on his knee.

He saw Ally tilting her head to meet his mouth when they kissed. He saw her eyelashes blink open and closed in surprise, her wide smile when they untangled from the kiss.

"You don't have a crush on her?" Mom asked, in disbelief.

"I don't have a crush on her anymore," Austin said. "Because now I can't help being in love with her. I love her more than anything. I love loving her, Mom."

"Did you tell her that?" she asked.

An image flashed into his mind – Ally's chin wobbling and her eyes dissolving into tears when he told her that he didn't mean to kiss her. He didn't know if he would ever get that image out of his head.

Austin's insides were being crumpled up like a beer can. Everything felt sharp and painful.

"No, I didn't," he said. "I told her it was a mistake and that I wanted to stay friends."

"Why in the world would you do something like that?"

"Because I don't know if she loves me back," he said. "I didn't want to ruin our partnership."

"If she didn't care about you, then why was she crying? Maybe she does love you, Austin!"

"Maybe," said Austin. "But it's too late now. She thinks I hate her and she probably hates me back." He buried his head in his hands. "It's over. No more Austin and Ally."


	16. Chapter 16

Austin and Ally didn't speak to each other for two days. Ally missed him so much, she found herself flipping through her songbook and reading every entry that mentioned his name. His name came up a lot.

"Austin bought me cotton-candy at the fair. It was nice of him to pay for me. He didn't do that before."

"Austin and I were sitting at a booth together, and he slung his arm over the back of my chair. What does that mean?"

"Trish and I hypnotized Austin today. But Trish tried to play a prank on him, and now, whenever Austin hears the word, "stupendous" he tries to take his shirt off! Luckily, no one really uses that word, so I think we're safe."

"I like it when Austin shakes hands with my dad."

"I feel confused about Austin."

"I don't know why I spend so much time thinking about Austin."

"Austin broke his arm."

"Austin gave me my first kiss."

Ally closed her eyes. She was jolted from her thoughts when Austin walked up to the counter. He pulled down on the front of her book, firmly. There was something commanding in the gesture. He seemed older, more serious.

The last time she'd seen Austin, she had been running out of the hospital room, crying. She hadn't spoken a word to him since.

Austin was about to say something.

"Stupendous," blurted Ally.

"What?"

Looking confused, Austin started taking his shirt off. All the girls in the room fell silent and turned to watch him, mesmerized. Several girls dropped what they were carrying.


	17. Chapter 17

Austin's shirt got stuck on his cast as he tried to pull it off. Ally took advantage of the confusion and ran upstairs as fast as she could. She locked the door behind her.

Moments later, someone banged on the door. "Ally! Are you in there? What's going on? Why am I shirtless?" He sounded frustrated.

"You can put your shirt back on," she called.

There was a pause. "I can't remember how. Every time I try to fit my arm through the hole…it doesn't work. Please help me, Ally. The girls are taking pictures now."

"Oh. Um, stupendous."

There was a shuffling sound. "All right. My shirt's on. Can I come in now?"

"I don't want to talk to you."

His voice sounded very close; he must have been pressed to the other side of the door. "What about the kiss?"

"Our kiss?" Her voice was high, loud. "It was _your_ kiss. You kissed me. And you said it was a mistake anyway."

"But why were you crying last night, Ally?"

His voice sounded so sad. But why? Maybe he felt regret over ruining their friendship.

The reason Ally had cried was because she wanted Austin to love her, and obviously that wasn't the case. But she didn't say that. "I cried because I thought our friendship was ruined."

"We can still be friends," he said. "We can go back to the way things were."

The tears were flowing down her cheeks. "I don't know if we can go back, Austin. You kissed me…even if it was an accident…and it almost got in the way of us being partners."


	18. Chapter 18

The silence seemed to stretch on forever. "Ally, will you please open the door." His voice was quiet and heavy.

"Promise you won't kiss me again," said Ally. She wiped the tears from her face. "We have to be more careful from now on. I don't want any awkwardness between us."

There was an embarrassed silence. "I – well – "

She heard his shoulder hit the door. He must have slumped against it in frustration. "If it means we can be friends again, then I'll promise anything. Just open the door, Ally."

She opened the door.

Austin must have been leaning against the door, because when she opened it, he fell into the room. His tall body fell against her, and Ally's face was pressed into his shoulder. They almost tumbled to the floor together, but Austin caught himself, and grabbed her arm to keep her from falling over. They laughed awkwardly.

When they stepped apart, the personal space between them was larger than normal. It was like there was a third person standing between them, telling them to keep away. It felt strange to look at Austin from this distance. Usually he was right at her hip, pressed against her side. Whenever they walked together, their fingers brushed every time they swung their arms. But not today.

Ally held out her hand. "Partners?" Her voice wobbled a little bit.

Austin contemplated her hand for a moment.

She prayed that he would say no. All she wanted in the world was him. She wanted him so badly, she could hardly breathe.

Austin held up his cast. "It's hard to shake hands like this. Can I hug you, Ally?"

At first she wanted to say no. But surely it wouldn't ruin their friendship? Friends hugged all the time.

Ally smiled, despite the sadness. "Always."


	19. Chapter 19

Austin stepped forward and wrapped his body around her. In that moment, Ally was as close to him as it was possible to be to another person, and it felt natural. She loved his hugs. There was something about the way he maneuvered their bodies together, like he was pulling her into a space where she belonged. It was like he was sharing himself with her. He gave her a quick squeeze, his hand gripping her shoulder blade, and then he let her go.

Ally's hands still rested on his shoulders, and, feeling embarrassed, she started to drop them. Then she realized that Austin's arm was still wrapped around her back.

She wanted the moment to go on forever. "I think you've gotten taller," she said.

He stretched up to his full height for a moment, and looked around the room. His eyes skirted the top of her head. "I'm sure everyone looks tall to you, Ally."

Ally's hands stayed on his collarbone. His hand pressed into her back. Neither of them moved.

"I'm so glad there's no drama between us," she said. "Boys and girls can just be friends, right?"

"Right." His voice didn't sound sure.

Austin's hand drifted lower. Suddenly, his fingers were resting on her lower back, in the dip of her spine. Ally jumped a little, surprised. Austin had never touched her there before. In fact, she'd only seen men do that in magazines. With women they were dating.

"Austin – "

He turned toward the door. "No talking. We have to go write a song, remember?"

Austin kept his hand on her lower back as they walked out of the room. She didn't know what it meant, but she liked it. He opened the door for her, like a gentleman.

Ally's heart stirred in her chest. He would make a great boyfriend.


	20. Chapter 20

Austin and Ally were at the piano, writing a song. As a joke, Austin kept reaching around and playing the notes on her side of the keyboard, so his arm was stretched across her back. He was touching her, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him to stop. That wouldn't mess up their friendship, would it? Friends were allowed to touch each other.

They were doing their vocal warm-ups together. Their voices mingled together, tripping across each other with nervous laughs, giggles, and sighs.

Then Austin picked up the guitar and tried to play with his hand in the cast. His hand thwacked the strings uselessly, making a horrible noise.

Ally covered her ears. "That's terrible!"

He broke into a smile. "Let's see you do it."

"Okay, I will."

To prove him wrong, Ally got up to take the guitar from him. When she was in front of him, Austin lifted the guitar over her head and placed it against her back. The guitar strap was still around his neck, and they were suddenly underneath the same guitar. The surface of the guitar pressed into Ally's back, and forced them closer together. Her chin practically knocked into his collarbone.

"That's not…what I meant…" said Ally. She pressed her hands to his chest and tried to put some distance between them, but it was impossible. "Austin, let me out!"

She squirmed against him until he lifted the guitar and they were separated. He put his guitar pick between his teeth and went back to strumming, as if nothing had happened. Ally sat back down at the piano, pretending the same thing.

After Austin was finished, he sat down to play with her. Their hands accidentally brushed on the keys, and Ally froze. This was different. It was skin-on-skin contact, and hands were a very intimate part of the body, in her opinion. Usually when Austin played music, he was so concentrated that he didn't notice anything around him. But he stopped playing and curled his fingers into his palm.

"Sorry," he said.


	21. Chapter 21

Ally nodded, and they started playing again. Moments later, their hands touched. It wasn't accidental this time. Austin's entire hand had covered hers for a moment, pressed the key for her, and then pulled away.

Why did he do this to her? Was he trying to break her heart?

"Let's take a break from piano," she said, gently. "Let's sit on the couch and talk about lyrics, okay?"

They talked about lyrics until Austin began to yawn. It was almost two o' clock in the morning, and Ally told him to take a nap while she worked on the piano part. Austin stretched out on the couch, his long legs taking up the entire space. He yawned and blinked his eyes slowly, but he didn't fall asleep. He watched her play piano.

Ally felt self-conscious. "Am I keeping you awake?"

"No," he said, sleepily. "I like watching you play. I like it when you sing, too."

Ally looked up, shyly. "You want me to sing?"

He nodded, and Ally began to sing. She played and sang until his eyes closed and his chest rose and fell with steady breaths. He had fallen asleep.

Ally played a little bit longer. Then she walked over to the couch and sat down next to Austin. She wanted to put her hand on his chest and feel him breathe, feel his heartbeat thumping away. There was something about Austin that was so dependable. His heart was always beating. His smile always came easily to him. He was always kind. He always had rips in his jeans and calluses on his hands. He always closed his eyes when he sang a sad song, his voice always cracked in the morning when he'd first woken up. He always felt good to the touch. He always had pretty brown eyes. He always hugged her like he meant it.

I'll always love you, she thought.


	22. Chapter 22

Ally couldn't help herself. She pulled his head into her lap and tentatively stroked his hair. His hair was soft and curled at the base of his neck. She ran her fingers through it lightly, like a mother soothing a little boy. He looked like a little boy, even tall as he was. His dark eyelashes scrunched together, and his brow was clear of any emotion, thoughts, or worries.

Austin moved in his sleep. He turned on his side so his cheek was pressed into her thigh. He muttered something against her skin, his voice quiet and sleepy. He was sleep talking. How cute.

Then he whispered her name. It sounded like a gentle sigh.

What was he dreaming? Did it have something to do with her? She hoped it was a good dream.

It felt so intimate, being so close to him. She could see the stubble on his jaw that he'd missed shaving.

Austin opened his eyes. When his gaze fell upon her, he didn't say anything. He looked at her for a long moment.

"What is it?" Ally's voice was soft. She felt as though something was about to happen. There was a feeling in the air, something different.

"Did I fall asleep on you?" he asked.

"No, it wasn't your fault. I came and sat down over here," she said, blushing.

"Oh," he paused. "You make a good pillow."

Austin reached up and tenderly took a loop of her hair into his hand. His touch was as gentle as powder. He twirled the strand around his finger, delicately, as if she was made of glass.

Ally felt overwhelmed. A boy was touching her hair! But it was the same boy who'd said he didn't like her. The same boy who'd had a string of girlfriends, none of them her.

But he'd said her name in his sleep. That had to mean something. "What did you dream about?"

Austin seemed to be fighting something inside of him; his brow became cloudy, his eyelashes blinked once, twice. She could feel him take a deep breath.

"It wasn't dreaming, really," he said. "It was more like a memory. I was remembering what kissing you felt like."


	23. Chapter 23

Ally's blood turned hot, then cold, and then everything went crazy inside of her. She squeaked, "Why were you dreaming about that?"

"Don't you want to know what it felt like?" he asked, his voice strong, confident.

Ally jumped off the couch. Austin's hands trailed at her hair, as if he didn't want to let go. When she looked down at him, he folded his hands in his lap, the picture of innocence.

"No, I don't! Austin, we decided not to talk about this. It'll only complicate things."

His hair was messy, sticking up from where she'd rubbed her hands through it. He didn't seem aware of it; he was serious as he spoke.

"Maybe I want things complicated," he protested.

"So you _want_ to lead me on?"

"I want – "

Ally didn't let him finish. She grabbed her coat, ran downstairs, and then outside. It was two o' clock in the morning and it was dark and drizzling. She stood at the corner and tried to wave a taxi down.

She was wearing Austin's coat. She must have grabbed it on accident, instead of hers. It was warm and had those studs on the collar that she'd always liked. The shoulders were broad, the sleeves hung down over her wrists, and the coat itself could have wrapped around her body twice. It reminded her of being wrapped in his body. It smelled like him, like boy and being tough and his deep voice and his wood-scented shaving cream.

Then he was at her shoulder. He said, "Ally," as if her name was the only word that meant anything anymore. As if he had piled all his hopes, longings, and frustration into those two little sounds. He had an angel's voice. He had a voice like ringing bells, like falling snow. It could go high or low, whichever he wanted. Did he have any idea how special he was? Forget about boyfriend – he would make someone a great husband someday.

"I'm sorry, Austin, but it's over," she said. "I'll miss you."

She stepped out into the road, headed for the taxi that was parked at the other side.

Austin's tone was high, broken. "Ally, no – "


	24. Chapter 24

A deep rumbling cut through the air. A jeep blazed down the middle of the road. The car was seconds away from Ally, and she watched the headlights grow bigger and bigger, blotting out everything in her vision.

Something wrenched the back of her shirt, roughly, and she fell backward. The jeep missed her by inches. It spit dirt as it hurtled past.

Ally fell against something that was soft and hard, and went tumbling to the ground.

"Ouch!" came a low voice.

Ally was wrapped tightly in Austin's arms, sprawled across his body from where he had cushioned her fall. He was stretched out across the grimy sidewalk, and the first thing she thought about was all the germs and dirt he must have been lying in. Then it occurred to her that she had almost died. Austin had saved her life.

Austin sat up slowly and held her in his lap. His grip lessened, and the embrace became protecting instead of suffocating. They were both breathing heavily, their chests moving up and down.

Austin's hair was even messier than before. Ally swept his hair away from his forehead.

"Oh no! I forgot about your arm," cried Ally.

Austin's broken arm was held close to his chest, and his orange cast had twisted around his arm. It looked painful, but Austin quickly assured her it wasn't.

The words that Ally had written on his cast were now on top, instead of being hidden on the bottom. Austin was adjusting his cast when he saw it.

"You're the pancake to my pickle. Get better soon…"

His dark eyes blinked at her, bright and wondering. Ally turned her face away so he wouldn't see her cry.

"Love," he said. "Love, Ally. That's what it says."


	25. Chapter 25

Though she was sitting on his lap, she felt further away from him than she'd ever felt. There was a chasm between them that would never be crossed.

"You didn't tell me you'd written that," he said. "Ally...do you have a crush on me?"

Her shoulders crumpled. The answer was written all over her face, she knew it. "We're partners," she said, tears spilling. "I didn't want to mess that up."

"I want it messed up."

"What?"

"Man," he breathed. His eyes were tangled in hers. "I want you so badly."

And there, on the gritty sidewalk, underneath the stars and the rain, Austin gave her a proper first kiss. Their mouths slid together, his muscles tensed at the moment of contact. It was only their second time, but they knew each other easily. Ally knew the curve of his cheekbones, the tilt of his eyebrows, and the curl of his smile as if she'd spent her whole life kissing him.

Austin gave her a last, fierce kiss, and then pulled back. "I like this much better than shaking hands."

"To be honest, you're not that great at shaking hands," said Ally.

He lowered his eyebrows and gave her a smoldering look.

"Oh, but you're a stupendous kisser," she smiled.

"Ally!" he complained. Thanks to the hypnosis, he was forced to yank off his shirt. He threw it over his shoulder, as if he didn't care. His chest was bare and wet with rain.

He moved closer.

"But wait!" Laura put a hand on his bicep. "How do I know that you mean it this time, Austin?"

"Sometimes actions speak louder than words," he said, simply. "I kissed you in my room because I wanted to. It was no accident."

"You should have told me," she protested.

He dropped his voice, his tone becoming low, deep. "I have a hard time talking to pretty girls."

"More than partners?" she asked, holding out her hand.

"I'll always be your partner. And more."

Instead of shaking her hand, Austin pushed his lips to hers again. Their kiss was long, lingering, and sweet.

Being with Austin was just like making music. Except this time, when their hands brushed, it wasn't by accident.


End file.
